Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan seemingly shot down any thought of the franchise trading fourth-year wide receiver George Pickens on Tuesday, but that isn’t stopping media speculation about a Pickens trade.
The latest to do so was Pro Football Focus’s Jordan Plocher, who listed Pickens as one of eight NFL veterans who could be traded during the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
“The Steelers’ acquisition of DK Metcalf gives them flexibility at wide receiver and opens the door to a possible George Pickens trade. Trading for Metcalf cost Pittsburgh draft capital, and moving Pickens, who is entering the final year of his contract, could help replenish those assets,” Plocher writes. “A team like the Green Bay Packers could be a good match, as they’re in the market for a true No. 1 receiver.
“Cornerback Jaire Alexander could potentially be part of the return package.”
While the trade for Metcalf does offer the Steelers some flexibility to move on from a headache like Pickens, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, that doesn’t appear likely from the Steelers’ perspective.
Pickens is coming off a season in which he hauled in 59 passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns. At times, he looked like a dominant No. 1 receiver in the making. But then, a hamstring injury coupled with some immaturity issues rearing their ugly head again led to a tough close to the season for Pickens.
There seems to be some redundancy on paper with Pickens and Metcalf both being big, physical, downfield receiving threats, but that doesn’t concern head coach Mike Tomlin at all.
If the Steelers were to move Pickens, they could recoup some of the draft capital used to acquire Metcalf, which would allow the Steelers to plug some other holes on the roster in a deep draft class overall. A landing spot like Green Bay would be a bit painful, though, as the Steelers would have to face Pickens in 2025.
As Plocher speculates, too, a veteran cornerback like Jaire Alexander could be tossed into the mix for a trade for Pickens, which would help the Steelers shore up their cornerback room even further, though Alexander has had real trouble staying healthy in recent seasons.
Chances are, the Steelers hold onto Pickens and roll with him in 2025. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor even believes the Steelers are trending toward an extension with Pickens, though that seems very unlikely. But the Steelers are better in 2025 with Pickens on the roster opposite Metcalf at receiver, rather than trading him and needing to address receiver at some point in the draft again.
